Murdoch's eldest child sells Vaucluse home

THE Vaucluse home of Prudence MacLeod, the oldest child of Rupert Murdoch, sold quietly this week for about $13.25 million in an off-market deal. It is the seventh-highest price in Sydney this year.

The sprawling three-storey residence stands on a 1060-square-metre waterfront reserve block in Carrara Road, one of Vaucluse's most prestigious addresses. The property last traded in 2002 for $7.5 million, when MacLeod and her husband Alasdair bought it from the Hargreaves family.

The McGrath selling agent Ben Collier would not divulge any details surrounding the sale due to confidentiality agreements, but he confirmed it is the second-highest price in Vaucluse this year. ''It's an outstanding result for this waterfront reserve property,'' Mr Collier said. ''This sale should encourage buyer confidence for quality properties at the top end of the market.''

The MacLeod residence stands on the northern side of Carrara, a landmark three-level European-style villa, set on a 1600-square-metre block, that sold for $26.75 million in 2010.

Set high above the harbour, these properties border Hermitage Reserve, a public waterfront parkland with a walking track between Hermit Bay and Milk Bay. The Hermitage Reserve is part of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

At the Hermit Bay end of the track is the Hermitage, a vast estate owned by the Hemmes family who own restaurants, bars and pubs around Sydney including the Ivy, the Establishment and Mr Wong. Above Milk Bay stands Strickland House, a circa 1850s heritage-listed Victorian Italianate mansion (set in 4.9 hectares of grounds) owned by the NSW government.

Prudence MacLeod's mother, Patricia, was Rupert Murdoch's first wife. She was married to him from 1956 to 1966.